Guardians of The Netherworld
by bunnyloverforever
Summary: I'm rewriting the first version I made of Guardians of the Netherworld. It's a story of Laharl having to deal with other personalities and quirks while trying to battle dangerous foes at the same time. How can the young Overlord deal with six others? R&R!
1. The Netherworld

Bunnyloverforever: I don't own Disgaea and I'm just trying to rewrite: Guardians of the Netherworld because I wasn't very happy with how it was first written. Enjoy, R&R!

Chapter 1: The Netherworld

It was another boring and uneventful day that came across the Overlord all too often now. Nothing was being accomplished while enemies still lurked somewhere out in the Netherworld. As long as they weren't attacking, then Laharl honestly didn't have anything to worry about. Besides, he was all powerful anyways… at least, that's what he told himself. He still had his father's Guardians that took care of the Netherworld citizens and such. Basically… it had been a while before Laharl had even lifted a finger. Of course, his seemingly endless flow of boredom and eventfulness stooped to an abrupt low after today.

It was a regular afternoon and Laharl was sitting in his throne, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Flonne was perky; Etna was indescribable and usually off doing some kind of business, and Jennifer spent most of her days with Etna or in the kitchen. So, Laharl attempted to busy himself with the Netherworld news each day. He wondered why he even bothered to read articles if he hadn't stepped out of his castle in ages and didn't plan to do so any time soon. Nothing he did made much sense anymore. As long as it kept him out of the face of boredom, he didn't mind doing pointless activities. This pointless activity would soon be disrupted by his father's Guardians.

"Hello… Laharl?" kindly asked a low toned voice.

"Laharl, put down that stupid news paper!" roared Lisa, a fire mage, and one of Laharl's father's guardians. She was standing alongside with Gaws, a male warrior, Delta, a sword master, Cotton, an archer, and Pleinair.

With a grunt, Laharl lowered the newspaper and placed it in his lap when he received Lisa's glare. "What is it? Don't you all have anything else better to do?"

"Look who's talking! You don't go out at all and when was the last time you even trained? You're lucky I don't burn your tongue to ashes every time you walk around claiming to be the best!" Lisa's eyes bugged out and her brows slanted when she began to scold the young Overlord.

Laharl simply propped his elbow up on the arm of his fancy chair and rested his chin on his palm. It's not like it was actually the first time he'd heard Lisa go off on him like this. It was almost considered an activity for another uneventful and boring day. He finally decided to glance at their faces and found nothing, but anger.

"What did you guys want again?" he requested to know why they were interrupting his boring and uneventful activity of reading the Netherworld newspaper.

"We're going to quit being Guardians. We want to retire," Pleinair firmly stated. She folded her arms across her chest.

Gaws nodded while Lisa, Delta, and Cotton looked as though they would jump at Laharl any moment now. Laharl's crimson eyes widened as he heard the words. Would that mean that he would have to go out and step foot in his kingdom? It was a hard fact to believe. He didn't know what to say. His mouth hung open and no sounds were made from the once mouthy teenager.

"Yeah, I'm going to retire, and _I'm_ going to be the director of the Dark Assembly!" Lisa announced and twirled a strain of her red hair with her index finger. She added a conceited giggle at the end of her statement.

"_What_? If you think you're going to become the director of the dark assembly, then you have another thing coming, girlfriend!" Delta faced the mage and snapped her fingers in an exaggerated Z formation. Gaws and Pleinair could barely stifle their laughter. Cotton jumped into the argument and proclaimed that she was going to be the director of… everything. That came across as an interesting statement to Laharl, but the more serious thoughts that ran thought his head. Like, what in the world was he going to do without the five of them around to protect the Netherworld?!

"Laharl, can you settle this, please?" Gaws interrupted Laharl's deep thinking. The male who didn't look a day older than twenty five. He found it quite witty that the Overlord was thinking intently on something. Although he settled on the fact that Laharl was more or so surprised than actually thinking.

"Right, uh…" Laharl jumped off of his throne and approached the bickering three, retired guardians. "Okay, stop for a few seconds!" He raised his hands and his eyes gathered a serious appeal.

"What are you going to do?" Delta asked curiously.

"Yeah, I _really_ want to be the director, Laharl!" Cotton made it clear with the whiney tone she used in her voice.

"Oh, c'mon, just pick me, damn it!" Lisa yelled out, crossed her arms, and shifted her weight to one leg.

Laharl raised a brow at their behavior. They all seemed to be on their period every time he watched them interact with each other. "Well, actually, I'm going to pick a number through one to ten. Whoever is closest to the number I pick will be the director of the dark assembly. Simple enough for the three of you?"

"Are we allowed to pick more than one number?" Cotton asked, finding herself dumbfounded.

"The hell? Of course not! You can only pick _one_ number!" Laharl sighed and then took another deep breath. Maybe the guardians retiring would be a good thing after all. No more fights would be heard from all the way on the other side of the castle. "Okay, pick your numbers."

"Four!" Delta guessed first.

"Six!" Cotton sang.

"I'm going with two!" Lisa said with determination.

Laharl turned his head towards Gaws and Pleinair. "Are you two going to guess?" he asked flatly.

Gaws and Pleinair took a glance at each other and then back at the Overlord. "Sure," they both said in unison.

"I'm going to go with nine." Pleinair said and then laced her fingers together timidly.

"Five here," Gaws answered.

Laharl took a deep sigh of relief, knowing that the winner of this job lottery wasn't going to be the bickering three. "The person who directs the dark assembly will be: _Pleinair_! Delta will be the nurse, Sasha the item world gate keeper, Cotton the weapon shop, and Gaws will take the armor shop." He closed his eyes when he assigned everyone their jobs, hoping they would take it as it is. Opening up one eye, he braced himself.

* * *

_'Damn, I'm glad that's over… I'm surprised I didn't go deaf when the three of them started yelling and screaming.' _Laharl was sure that the rest of his day wouldn't be interrupted anymore. The only thing that lingered in his mind tauntingly was the fact that he would have to go out himself with Jennifer, Etna, and Flonne to protect the Netherworld against foes. It had been months since the last time he did this. And it was easy to forget about fighting and fantasize about sitting around all day every day. Before finishing the last paragraph of an article, Etna had literally ripped the newspaper from Laharl's hands and crumbled it up into a ball, kicking it off to a corner. The Overlord sucked in air and wondered how he winded up with Etna in the first place. It seethed him.

"What is it?" he inquired blankly, counting to ten in his mind.

"What do you mean, 'what is it'?" She countered and planted her hands on her hip.

"Exactly what I mean. What do you want?" Laharl asked again and then watched Jennifer and Flonne walk up next to Etna with brimming smiles.

"We're going to hire new guardians!" Flonne cheered in her naturally high pitched voice.

Laharl's face dropped. More annoying pests running around trying to kill each other instead of the foes at hand?! Images of potential guardians, in replace of the already bickering three, squabbling around filled his mind. This didn't make sense. The four of them could fight foes perfectly fine. Why did they need other children? "Why?" he finally managed to squeak out.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Laharl!" Jennifer teased and giggled along with Etna.

"We need new guardians, Prince!" Etna made her reason unknown and she leaned her torso over.

"You can't be serious? What's wrong with the four of us?" he queried defensively.

"Wouldn't it be fun to have new faces around the castle, Laharl?" Flonne chirped happily and held her hands behind her back.

Laharl grimaced and looked up at the ceiling. What was happening today? It was as if he was catching up with all the eventfulness his days were suppose to be filled up all in one shot. "_Fine_!" he grumbled and hopped off of his throne with a glower.

"Wow! That was easier than I thought it was going to be!" Jennifer giggled again and the girls led the way toward the dark assembly.

Laharl was still contemplating the worse outcomes of hiring more guardians. More personalities he would be forced to deal with. At least yelling and releasing his anger on someone that would obey and protect him at all costs would be something entertaining to do. Now he was beginning to like the idea of having guardians around. If he was mad, and someone was there, may god have mercy on their soul. Besides, how much negativity could come out of having one or two extra people around?

"All right, Laharl. We have swordsmen, space pirates, battlers, space marines, archers-"

"Yeah, you have every class. I get it. Just let me choose a few people," Laharl interrupted Pleinair without a second thought. He folded his arms and rested his unforgiving gaze on a few swordsmen before finally choosing one.

"Wait a second Laharl, when you pick someone, you should try asking to see if they have anyone they would like to recommend. It would be easier to have guardians that already know each other, right?" Flonne gave her suggestion and waited to see what Laharl had to say about it.

"Yeah, that would make things a _lot _easier on me." Laharl grinned at himself and continued ogling the swordsman he picked sternly.

"Wait a second, Prince. Who said we were only picking a few people? I was thinking like… well… maybe four or five?" Etna smiled toothily at the end of her question. She waited for approval anxiously.

"Are you _serious_? Who do you think I am? A baby-sitter?" Laharl dropped his arms and his eyes broadened at Etna's question. He couldn't believe she would want that many new faces around the castle! Who would be taking care of all of them?!

"Look, let's just see and find out. I know you're going to find a few people you'll like, Laharl!" Jennifer said and bent over to pet the Overlord.

It didn't matter to Laharl. He continued to grumble and he mulled over the topic of having guardians in his mind again. What would he do with all of them? What would _they_ do with him? Was this really for the Netherworld's sake or for Laharl's torment and Etna's pleasure?


	2. The Guardians of The Netherworld

Bunnyloverforever: I do not own Disgaea Hour of Darkness. Enjoy, R&R!

Chapter 2: Guardians of the Netherworld

"Laharl, weren't you eyeing a swordsman earlier?" Jennifer placed her palm on top of Laharl's head and pointed her index finger in the direction of the coy swordsman.

"Him, Laharl?" Pleinair pointed to the swordsman standing first in line.

Laharl swatted Jennifer's hand away and stepped closer to Pleinair, knowing she wouldn't dare do anything like that. "Yes, that one," he confirmed with an assertive tone.

"Okay, Nickolas, please step forward." Pleinair ordered, nodding her head.

_'Oh gosh… the great Overlord himself handpicked me! I must do as Lady Flonne says and tell him about my friends!' _Nick's legs faltered suddenly as they seemingly turned to stone and wobbled as he took the two excruciatingly long steps. Laharl, Pleinair, Etna, Jennifer, and Flonne all raised a brow at Nickolas's apprehensive state. The comic hero, Nickolas, noticed this and could only give back a sheepish smile.

"Nickolas, can you step any _further_?" Laharl lowered his hands and slightly leaned forward to examine the size of the baby steps he had taken.

"Uh, yes, my Lord!" Nickolas stuttered the four words timorously and stepped out once more.

Pleinair, Laharl, Etna, Jennifer, and Flonne raised a brow again. "Laharl, why don't we come to him?" Flonne offered.

"That seems like our only option," Etna mumbled under her breath.

Laharl sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. Did he make people that insecure? He rarely did anything with the kingdom anyways. The Overlord reluctantly made his way in front of Nickolas. "All right, I've chosen you to-"

The cosmic hero's body swayed back and forth until it met the ground when he fainted. Etna snorted while Flonne and Jennifer began to giggle. Pleinair's gaze rested on the hero while Laharl wiped his face with the palm of his head.

"Are you _sure_ you're going to pick him, Laharl?" Pleinair inquired and scratched the back of her head.

"Just drag him off to the side somewhere while I pick the rest of our… new gang." Laharl paused, for he wasn't quite sure what to call the pack of guardians that he would soon share the living room with him.

The Overlord, Etna, Jennifer, Flonne, and Pleinair stepped back to get a better view at everyone else. They proceeded. "Him, him! He looks cool!" Flonne pulled on Laharl's elbow and started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Calm down, girl. Who are talking about? There are a _lot_ of guys and they all look…" Etna stopped herself before she continued, remembering that readers of all ages would read her inappropriate comment.

"Flonne, which one?" Laharl asked flatly and reclaimed his entire arm.

"That one!" Flonne pointed to the third person in the far right line.

"Haha, another blonde!" Jennifer pointed out happily.

"Just what we needed…" Laharl sarcastically added. He decided to make his way to the sheer, blonde-haired boy that looked much like Flonne's, minus the length.

Etna, Jennifer, and Flonne took another step back while Pleinair followed Laharl towards the space marine. "Devin, please step out," she ordered in her mono toned voice.

"O-Okay!" he called out, but couldn't help but stutter. He wiggled his way through the lines of other classes glaring down and scoffing at him. His aquamarine, blue eyes finally were set on the Overlord himself. Never before would he even think about seeing the Overlord standing just two feet away from him! "Hi…" he greeted dumbly, weakly waving his hand, and smiling in awe.

"Hello, Devin. It seems as though Flonne has chosen you. Sit next to the fainted swordsman," Laharl pointed his thumb back at Nickolas. The Overlord couldn't help, but notice how oddly the space marine was dressed. A simple pair of partially bleached, washed denim shorts that were rolled up to the middle of his thighs, and a fitted plain red-orange, pull-over hoodie with slippers. He was dressed awfully casual.

"Oh, um, I would like to recommend someone, your highness." Devin nodded his head and nervously watched to see the Overlord's reaction.

"Well?" Laharl folded his arms and attempted to stand to his fullest height. It's not like he had the answer, so why the hell was Devin looking at him expectantly?

"Uh! Yeah, he's space pirate, Eric!" Devin nodded his head again and glanced at Pleinair.

"Do you accept his recommendation, Laharl?" Pleinair inquired before directing the space pirate to step out.

"Yeah, why not?" Laharl gave a smug look and turned towards the line of space pirates at his left. This was easier for him. He didn't have to waste time looking at everyone and then handpicking them one at a time. They was so many to choose from.

"Space pirate Eric, please step out!" Pleinair yelled out.

About fifteen seconds later, a body finally emerged through the lines. He stood in front of Laharl, but his eyes stayed on his boots. Devin sheepishly smiled at Laharl, more or so because of the fact that Eric had already threatened to 'kill' him if he recommended him to the Overlord. Devin was dreading Eric's death glare while Laharl appeared to be looking forward to it.

"Hello?" he mocked a greeting to the red headed, space pirate. The pirate was dressed only an open black vest and fitted black jeans, with a white bandana under his black classic pirate hat.

"_Devin_, what the hell? I told you not to recommend me!" Eric shouted out, completely ignoring Laharl and launching his body at the space marine.

Laharl watched with folded arms and didn't even give a care about either of them. It was actually quite fulfilling to him to watch others battle it out. Although, Pleinair stepped in front of Eric and shoved him back before he even got a shot at Devin, who looked like a weakling compared to the pirate.

"Can you two stand in the corner with the fainted swordsman until I'm done picking out everyone else _without_ killing each other?" Laharl's eyelids drooped, he lowered his hands, and slightly bent his knees. He was getting exhausted easily. He hadn't had this much excitement since the day he took in Gordon, Jennifer, and Thursday to be his slaves.

"Overlord, I-I'm awake now…" Nickolas's meek voice interrupted what Pleinair was about to say. Laharl swiveled around to face Nickolas with his heavy eyelids and flaming eyes. "I have recommendations to make!" the cosmic hero announced suddenly.

"Take it easy, I'm right in front of you…" Laharl pretended to flick wax from his ear. He waited for Nick to continue, and then remembered about the cosmic hero's insecure nature and expected nothing less.

"Okay, boys. Eric, if you try anything one more time, I'm going to have to-"

"Don't worry about it, Pleinair. Guys, just stand near Nick and his recommendations." Laharl interrupted Pleinair once again and she visibly began to fume. Devin noticeably started to tremble when he had to stand next to Eric, who was muttering curses under his breath. Laharl, Pleinair, Etna, Jennifer, and Flonne stared at Nickolas with anticipation for almost a straight minute. "_Nickolas_! I plan on _sleeping_ today!" Laharl roared furiously.

Nickolas squeaked and almost jumped a straight foot into the air from freight. "Right, they're Robin, Kim, and Sasha!" he hurriedly spilled out the names and tensed up, inching towards Eric and stepping behind him.

"Please step out, Robin, Kim, and Sasha…" Pleinair's voice was filled with uncertainty, for the three girls weren't exactly the nicest. "Please line up next to Devin, Eric, and Nick," she added.

Robin, the shogun, Sasha, the red headed galaxy mage, and Kim, the Freischutz, stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to the boys. Laharl looked over at Etna, Jennifer, and Flonne. They all gave giddy thumbs-ups. The Overlord sighed and then realized that he obviously had to partake in the decisions. Why wouldn't they just dismiss his opinion like earlier? _'Wait a second… what is my opinion?'_

"Laharl, will this be all?" Pleinair exhaled deeply and wished she had picked the number one instead of nine. Then again, maybe Laharl would have picked her anyways.

Laharl was still continuing to glare down all of his new guardians. Devin didn't look too strong at all, but he had no doubt that he was an excellent sharpshooter. What was his relationship with Eric though? Eric appeared strong enough to last a match with himself for quite a while. Nick was still trembling in fear and nearing being completely hidden behind Eric. Laharl simply had no thoughts on the boy, but since he was a cosmic hero with a badass sword, he would let him slide. Robin definitely looked worthy with the axe she held in her hands. Having a mage was always good on the team. Laharl decided to keep Kim since she appeared to be friends of Sasha, Robin, and Nick, and he might as well have another ranger.

"Yeah… that'll be all. Take away the rest. So, you're all hired to protect the Netherworld!" Laharl planted his hands on his hips and turned his head from left to right to glance at everyone lined up.

"Well, Prince?" Etna walked up to him along with Flonne and Jennifer.

"What?" he snapped back, secretly wondering if there was another task to be done.

"What do you think of everyone, Laharl?" Flonne spoke Etna's implied question.

"I don't think you've even properly greeted them!" Jennifer somewhat scolded him, crossing her arms.

Laharl lowered his head and closed his eyes tightly to calm himself down before he blew up on everyone. "All right, are you sure you want to know what I think of everyone?" Laharl was surprised to see the new guardians shake their heads vigorously, all except for Eric who stared mindlessly.

"Let a rip, Prince!" Etna sarcastically yelled out and rested her head back in her hands.

Laharl pretended as if he wasn't going to tell the guardians what he thought of them because Etna encouraged him to. "Devin's first. You look really weak, but I guess you're better in range than hand to hand combat. Eric looks pretty dangerous, and I'm going with Nickolas is just nervous, right?" Laharl raised his brows and slightly nodded when he watched the hero nod vigorously in return. "Robin will be a good addition, and so will Sasha. I guess it's good to have another long distance hitter."

Devin's face turned as red as tomato while Eric's triumphant smile came back. Nick was taking a sigh of relief and Robin and Sasha were giggling and whispering in each other's ears. Kim's hands were also planted on her hips and she looked as though she was going to blow a gasket. Flonne regretted the inquiry of Laharl's thoughts. She should have known they weren't going to be the nicest. Etna and Jennifer could barely keep themselves from laughing, but managed somehow.

"Smile everyone!" Jennifer held up a camera she seemingly pulled out from her back pocket, but she didn't wait for anyone to smile. She took the picture as soon as she held up her camera, catching everyone's faces.

Laharl lowered his crossed hands and turned his glare back to the guardians after Jennifer. "Well, it looks like you'll all be defending the Netherworld alongside me." He gave a small, confident smile. It was enough for the rest of the guardians to beam back at the Overlord.


	3. Ladies and Ladies

Bunnyloverforever: I do not own anything pertaining to Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, or any of the games. The only things I do own are my characters.

Chapter 3: Ladies and… Ladies

All six of the new guardians had unpacked their things in their appropriate rooms. Eric, Devin, and Nick all shared a room with three separate queen sized beds next to each other against the wall. Robin, Sasha, and Kim shared another room with the same queen sized beds. The girls were in a particularly good mood. It was easy to create conversation with themselves since they had already known each other from their childhood. With the boys, Devin and Eric shared a checkered past, and Nick was much more fond of girls than boys. All three of them were quiet, almost solemn as they unpacked their things. Nick was practically raised around his three good friends, Robin, Sasha, and Kim. He never met Devin, since the boy was from Earth. He'd never seen Eric until today. It would take a lot for him to open up to the two men. He suspected that Devin would be easier to talk to versus Eric.

Laharl stood outside of the boys' room. He had his arms crossed and thought intently to himself. He wanted to work on the boys first. Teamwork was the key to success in future battles that would surely come; even battles that would determine the safety of the Netherworld and its people. Laharl still had to save and take care of his people… for Flonne's sake, to become a maleficent Overlord. He would do anything for that title. He wanted to be like his father, no, even better than he _ever_ was. Deep down, Laharl felt a special connection with Nickolas. His title as a Cosmic Hero… could it be? Were those legends true about warriors actually harboring the power of the universe and the power to destroy anything around them? It couldn't be, not from the go-lucky, friendly appearing, Nickolas he had handpicked; virtually all 'Cosmic Heroes' didn't have those powers. It was believed to be a hoax. It didn't seem likely… but he would surely find out soon, and what about Eric's attitude toward Devin? Would they end up as friends or enemies on his team? He can't let their checkered past from keeping them to work together. Laharl would find a solution for that matter.

The Overlord fist slowly rose to knock the boys' door. Eric's mind was engrossed in a book he was reading, Devin was half asleep on his bed, and Nick was enamored with the program on T.V. he was watching. All three of them jumped up at the knock. They instantly knew it was the Overlord himself, without question. Nick glanced back at the other two boys, who also looked back at him. It seemed to mystify them that their door had been knocked on by the Overlord.

"Ladies, open up the door, damn it!" Laharl roared, pounding on the door with both of his fists. Devin shrieked at the Overlord's response and jumped off of the bed. He ran up to the door and waved his hands in front of himself to signal Laharl to stop pounding, since the door was open and he would pound on him instead. Laharl did so and rested his glare on the human boy with bright blonde hair and big blue, innocent eyes. It ticked him off to look at the lad. He looked so naïve.

"Dear, Overlord! I'm sorry! It won't happen again! What is it that you need from us? Anything we can do for you?" Devin put his hands together as if he were praying.

The Overlord continued his menacing glare down at the timid EDF soldier that was apparently top of his class. It looked hard to believe. The Overlord was inwardly surprised when Eric pushed Devin out of the way, finally someone who could possibly match his icy glare. Unfortunately, the competition was destined for another time. Laharl had bigger plans and Eric had the nerve to defiantly question him about them.

"What the hell do you want? You almost broke the… your own door down." Eric crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. He was too angry being interrupted from his book to remember that he was talking to the Overlord of the Netherworld.

Laharl didn't mind the little back talk. He liked it actually. Perhaps it would come _more_ in handy when they were up against an actual foe. "I need all three of you for a little pre-test." His hands gripped his hips and a small, knownig smile formed on his face.

"What kind of pre-test? I've never been good at Math." Nick approached the door and stood next to Eric. The pirate looked back at him with his one eye, the other being concealed by a black eye patch. Devin also thought the same question, but stared at Laharl.

"Simple, all three of you against me!"

* * *

"Laharl, are you sure of this? This doesn't seem fair. What if you get hurt?" Flonne was overly concerned for Laharl's welfare. She didn't exactly approve of the three against one match.

"Everything's going to be all right, Flonne. Nothing can go wrong, trust me. Just stand on the sidelines and don't get too close!" Laharl clearly ogled a determination. Flonne noticed this and stepped back. The Overlord held out his hands and clapped them together. A flicker of light was released. Laharl held up his right palm and with his left hand, he pulled out a white feathered hilt that formed on his right palm. He completely pulled the angelic sword out and swiveled around.

"He literally pulled a sword out of his hand!" Devin pointed out and hid behind Eric. The pirate raised a brow at the action while Nick looked grossed out.

Laharl snickered at their reaction. He approached the three of them and glanced back at Flonne. Laharl held the angelic sword with pride. He was able to discover its power more and able to form it when he realized that his bond with Flonne resulted in more of its strength. The design was purely angelic and contradicted Laharl's attire. Its blade was entirely white as well as the feathered hilt. A small, blue jewel was embedded in the middle of the hilt. The Overlord held the handle with pride and prepared to use some of its power in the fight.

"Okay, this match has started!" Flonne raised her right hand and then dropped it to her side. She knew in her heart that Laharl would win this match. It was just designed to see how good the new guardians were.

Nick raised his Cosmic Blade, but lowered it when Eric ran past him towards the Overlord in hot pursuit. Devin followed him after loading his gun with only a few bullets. The warrior just decided to watch what the two would do. They appeared to be implementing a strategy and he didn't want to get in the way of it. Eric made the first move. From his pocket he took out a stealing hand. Quickly putting on one glove on one of the ends, he threw the other end at the Laharl's sword, in hopes of pulling it out of his hand, which he knew was probably a naïve choice. Devin ran up next to him and in a split second, took aim and shot a bullet at the Overlord.

Laharl took a step back, but he didn't plan on dodging the odd looking bullet. He soon realized that that was a mistake. The one bullet was shot at his left arm, completely weakening his grip on the handle by sending some sort of electrical shock wave throughout his arm. Laharl almost expected the stealing hand from Eric. After all, pirates were all petty thieves. As the stealing hand was nearing his sword, with his right hand, he quickly mustered up a purple energy ball, not particularly strong. He was going to save up as much energy as he could for when he faced off with Nick. Laharl was careful when he shot his energy ball. He merely shot it in front of the hand, diverting its direction completely. The hand turned around and wrapped around the pirate and EDF soldier, trapping them and causing them to tumble over.

Nick chuckled at the two comedy duo more so than a combat team. He stepped in front of the two and drew out his sword again.

"Hey, what are you doing? Help untie us!" Eric ordered angrily of the cosmic hero as he struggled from his stealing hand's stronghold.

"Look, you can't order me around, and you two had your chance and blew it. So, excuse me." Nick turned back to the two and stuck his tongue out at them. Devin frowned, visibly ashamed, while Eric was holding his breath to keep himself from degrading the other male.

"That's true." Laharl stated, regaining feeling in his left arm. He would have attacked the cosmic hero while he was talking, but he desired to properly fight him instead. With both of his hands, he gripped the handle of his sword and looked expectantly back at Nick.

"Sorry, Overlord! I won't hold back!" The hero stepped back and clenched his handle. "_Ha_!" he yelled out as a white light surrounded him for a few moments and then dispersed, revealing his new pitch black hair color, light grey eyes, and black markings on the side of his cheeks and arms.

Laharl knew that there was something much more different about him than his appearance. A new sort of energy had taken place in his body. So, the legends were true, Laharl thought to himself. The two of them clashed swords, and Laharl was quickly overpowered and took a few steps back, as if pretending to have some kind of combat plan in place when he really didn't. He wasn't even entirely sure if his power could match that of the true Cosmic Hero. He could control the universe with his kind of power, but it looked as though Nick was clearly unaware of its fullest potential. His newly colored grey eyes from his transformation held an uncertainty. The Overlord simply smiled back. Flonne looked quizzically at Nick. She had heard about legendary Cosmic Heroes possessing extraordinary powers, but she didn't think that they existed anymore until now.

Nick charged at the Overlord. All Laharl could do was defend himself. Every time Nick's sword clashed with Laharl's, a blinding white light illuminated his sword's trail. The hero used his red devil wings to stay in the air and float above the Overlord while he slashed away. Laharl stayed on the ground, being pushed back with each clash of their swords. Flonne began to worry again. Laharl started to seriously question his own power. Should he even try? Should he end the match?

"C'mon, Laharl, you're not even trying!" Flonne yelled out. Now she was encouraging fighting! Would the Seraph approve of this?

Laharl knew what Flonne said was right. He was taken aback by Nickolas's power. Now it was time for Nickolas to become dazzled and amazed. Laharl jumped up in the air and even surprised himself when he clashed swords with Nick and sent him literally flying all the way across the other side of the room. He crashed into the wall, buried by debree. Laharl landed back on the floor and found himself panting and especially exhausted. That blow took a lot out of him. It wasn't just any wave of his sword.

"Don't move!" Devin demanded.

His childish voice almost made Laharl giggle. He felt Devin's pistol behind his head. Laharl truly knew that Devin would never shoot him. Nor was it even possible, but then again, Devin's bullets did a lot of weird things. Maybe he actually had some bullets that could take down a full-fledged demon. But Devin couldn't overcome his slow human reflexes. In a split second Laharl ducked and his hand gripped the pistol. The Overlord ripped the gun out of the human's hand and pistol whipped him, quickly laying him unconscious on the floor.

"What? _Devin_!" Eric revealed himself in the air. He was invisible until he saw Devin get pistol whipped from the Overlord. It should have been expected! The pirate quickly landed and sprinted over to the human that Laharl thought he hated. As he made his way, he was completely oblivious to the fact that Laharl was standing right next to his body. His eyes were fixated on Devin's unconscious expression. Laharl decided against shooting Eric even though the shot was inevitably easy and would have put out the pirate. He stepped back and watched as Eric knelt down to examine Devin's skull. The Overlord was sure that he didn't hit him too hard, but what a demon could withstand and what a human could withstand are two completely different levels. "If he's badly hurt then I'll kill you!"

Laharl was hesitant to react to that comment. He didn't believe that anything was wrong with Devin. It suddenly came to him that Eric was very protective of the human. What _was_ the history? It shocked him more when Nick blew past him and knelt down over the boy as well. His markings, hair, and eye color were still the same. He wondered what deactivated his power.

"Laharl, is he okay?" Flonne questioned as she ran over to the human boy as well.

Laharl sighed and rolled his eyes. His antennas even drooped somewhat. "He's _fine_. Should we take him to Delta?" he said with exasperation.

"He's waking up!" Eric held him in his arms and lightly shook his head to help him gather his consciousness. Devin slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw at was Eric's worrisome expression. "Are you all right?" Eric glanced at Laharl and gave him the evil eye for a split second. Laharl rubbed the back of his neck timidly. This wasn't exactly how he wanted to end his day. He thought he would start on the right foot with these boys.

"Yeah… my head hurts." Devin rubbed the side of his forehead and felt blood streaming down. It wasn't a life threatening injury, but it sure did leave a throbbing headache. That was the last time he would ever threaten the Overlord or hold a gun within the vicinity of him.

Eric chuckled at his response. "Yeah, Laharl got you pretty hard," the pirate glanced up at Nick, as if he had known him for quite some time before this experience. The hero looked back at him and shared the smile. The two of them looked down at Devin and smiled back down at him.

Laharl couldn't understand the smiles, and even Flonne suddenly started sharing her smile. Then he received a nasty glare from her. "_Laharl_!" she firmly said under her breath. The Overlord took a small step back and his eyes widened at her tone.

"What?" he asked aloud and received another stern glare. "All right, gees," Laharl understood what her looks meant. He loathed how nice he would have to be to his new… _companions_… that would help protect the Netherworld alongside him. And he could always count on Flonne to pick the weakest EDF soldier out of all of them. He was left unconscious after a mere pistol whip. Then again, perhaps Laharl was being too hard. He had to admit, he did want to hit him hard enough to lay him out, but he didn't think that the whole fight was going to halt because of it. '_A team is only as strong as its weakest link.'_

Laharl knelt down and picked up Devin in his arms bridal style. Devin was perplexed by the Overlord's most kind gesture. "Okay, I'll take you to your room and come back with some bandages. If Delta knows I hurt somebody _already_, I'll be the one needing bandages…"

Flonne smiled at Laharl's forced generosity. Eric followed him closely as well as Nick. Laharl couldn't help, but notice that Nick's markings or hair and eye color hadn't changed back. Perhaps he did control the power to transform and turn back to his regular self, but something about his blows made the Overlord think otherwise. They all seemed too amateur, yet powerful. Laharl didn't know much about Eric's or Devin's power, but he would make sure to find out soon. Nickolas's power brought many, many questions in mind. Flonne flew off to the nursery to secretly get gauze for Laharl without Delta noticing. Flonne flew back hastily to the boys' room as fast as she could. Flying into the room, she quickly handed Laharl the ball of gauze and bandages. Laharl started and finished bandaging the side of his forehead within a few minutes. Devin did his best to not move a muscle in fear that Laharl might accidentally carve his eyeballs out with his extremely long and yellow fingernails. Eric thought the same thing about Laharl's nails.

"Okay, I'm all done. Flonne, can you give me a moment?" Laharl truly asked of Flonne. Whenever he asked questions, they sounded more of a mandatory demand. Flonne nodded and made her way out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"Why did you send Lady Flonne out?" Nick queried.

"Because I'd rather talk to all three of you guys alone. That is, if you don't mind," Laharl finished and sat down next to Devin on his bed, placing his hand on his shoulder. Eric raised a curious brow at the gesture. He had read stories that the Overlord was cruel and heinous… not kind… did Flonne actually change him?

"Sure, whatever you want, my Lord," the hero happily stated and smiled toothily. As soon as he did, his markings, hair, and eye color all went back to its regular form. His hair turned auburn brown and his eyes back to red.

"What would you want to talk to us about? Did we fail the pre-test?" Eric asked in a mono-toned voice.

"Actually, you did, but that's all right. Everyone has their weakness. Yours is Devin," Laharl faced Eric when he said this. The pirate looked at his feet and felt his face heat up. "Your power isn't a weakness, but you have to learn to work together with your teammates and control it more steadily." Laharl turned his head toward Nick. "And you… I think its better if you stay as far away from the enemy as you can," a small smile tugged at his lips when he said this. Devin's face lit up at the Overlord. Laharl turned away and glanced at the other two boys. "I think you two should take a seat," he suggested. Nick and Eric glanced at each other curiously, but the two of them did as Laharl said and sat down next to each other across from him and Devin.

"What else do you want, my Lord?" Nick inquisitively asked and cocked his head somewhat. Eric crossed his arms and had no special interest in the Overlord and his requests. Devin on the other hand held Laharl in a totally new light.

"I think I would feel like I knew you all better if you told me a little about your pasts or childhood, or where in the kingdom you grew up in," Laharl now had on a stern look on his face. It didn't look like any of the boys had a choice whether to tell the Overlord about themselves or not. This was mandatory, and it was only the first day.

"I'll start first!" Devin excitedly raised his hand. Everyone had their ogles turned to the thrilled human. "All right, well, I was born on Earth, dear Overlord." Laharl nodded at the boy in understanding. "I had nice loving and hardworking parents, but I was an only child. So, to keep myself busy, I had high hopes and dreams of becoming the _defender_ of Earth! So, I went into the EDF, of course. I had the best time of my life. But, there was one problem…"

"Huh? What was it?" Nick was intoned with the story and quickly wondered why there would be a problem with one of your dreams becoming a reality.

"I was under aged, big time. I joined when I was turning fifteen, and the minimum age limit was eighteen. I was a bit tall, so I faked my birth certificate and ran away from home. I was really afraid for my life when I was supposed to be sent to the Netherworld to fight and kill the Overlord, but our ship… crashed. Everyone perished except for me. I have no clue why. I lost my closest friends in the EDF in that flight." Devin bit his lip when he mentioned that he was sent to kill the Overlord. Laharl gave him a small smirk, but didn't mind whatsoever. "So, that was when… Eric saved me. Eric lived alone… and he took me in. I don't know why, but he did, and I'm thankful for it. And then I had the drive to protect the Overlord of the Netherworld, alongside Eric and fight for true justice!" Devin stood up and raised his fist in the air, clearly making his own self happy by stating how he ended up as a guardian. Laharl raised a brow at his enthusiasm, but smiled nonetheless.

"That's a nice story, Dev." Nick commented and smiled at the boy when he sat back down, "mines pretty short." He said and faced his lap. Devin frowned at his reaction. He hoped that Nick didn't have a hard life, but what did he know about him? The cosmic hero jumped into his story right away, wanting to get the awkward moment over with. "For as long as I can remember, I've live with my older brother. Yeah, he wasn't the nicest person to be around with, but I loved and appreciated him. He was all I ever had. As soon as we just started to get close to each other less than a year ago, he passed away in his sleep. That was the hardest time in my life. I literally had no one to call my own." Nick paused. He was a bit startled when Eric placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, as if he knew what the feeling was, and Nick didn't have any doubt in his mind that he did even though he didn't know him.

"Anyways, he was the one that trained me to become a guardian right when I told him that I wanted to protect Laharl, even when your father was still alive, my dear Overlord. Without the help of Robin, Sasha, and Kim, I wouldn't be here. All four of us made the preliminaries together. And before I knew it, you handpicked me first! I am very grateful to be here, dear Overlord," Nick stood up and bowed down at Laharl. The young Overlord grew timid. He couldn't believe people grew up wanting to protect _him_.

"That's… wondrous…" Laharl couldn't think of a single word to properly satisfy Nick's must to protect him. The Overlord faked a smile when Nick sat back down on the bed across from him and brightly smiled back at him. The tyrant turned his gaze to Eric. The pirate rolled his eyes and stood up.

"If you think I'm going to share my _life_ story with you, then you've got another thing coming, _Laharl_," Eric didn't care to call Laharl, Overlord, or Lord, or dear Lord, those were labels. Devin and Nick felt as though the pirate had insulted the Overlord by calling him by his real name.

Laharl quirked a brow at him. "That's all right, I guess." The Overlord was admittedly taken aback by Eric's sharp words and reaction. Maybe there were some things better left unsaid, or perhaps there was something in the pirate's past that was to be ashamed of.

"So, forget it. You're not going to learn a thing from me besides I'm here for the same bogus reason everyone else is, but you're _only_ doing this for your _reputation_. You have no idea the loyalty everyone has for you! That might be your downfall," Eric solemnly made his piece and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

_'What did that mean?'_ Laharl thought to himself. He kept a firm expression on his face. Nick and Devin looked like that had been slapped and gazed at him for some sort of comfort they would never receive.


	4. Dynamics

Bunnyloverforever: I do not own anything pertaining to Disgaea: Hour of Darkness or any of the other games.

Chapter 4: Dynamics

It was beyond annoying now. Nick mirrored _everything _the Overlord did. The first movements were a bit silly and Laharl shrugged them off, but he wondered if Nick had ever really read the Netherworld newspaper as vigorously as he did. All ten of them were in the fancy living room. Etna and Jennifer had become very close over the year. The two of them were reading the same Netherworld fashion magazine and whispering from time to time. Flonne and Eric were both reading a novel. Nick was sitting next to Laharl on the couch reading the Netherworld newspaper and the exact same article as he was. And whenever he turned a page, Nick did as well. Every time Laharl scratched the back of his head, Nick did as well. And even when Laharl raised a brow, Nick mirrored it. The rest of the guardians, Devin, Kim, Robin, and Sasha, were playing Monopoly: Netherworld SPECIAL EDITION. There was no trouble brewing about in the Netherworld yet, or in Makai Kingdom. It had been almost an Earth week since Laharl hired all of them. The Overlord knew he had a pretty good team, but now he had no clues what to do with them. Flonne kept nagging him on getting to know everyone appropriately. _Whatever that means…_

"_Okay_! I've had about enough of this, _Nickolas_! Stop mirroring everything I'm doing! It's getting so annoying I just want to rip your head off!" Laharl erupted and jumped up on the couch, shouting over the cosmic hero.

Nick used his newspaper as a shield to cover Laharl's dragon breath and the fire breathing out of his mouth. He lowered it when he saw that a hole had been made through the paper that could have been through his face. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at the famous Overlord lose his temper and the surprisingly strong cosmic hero cower in fear. The warrior stood up with his head drooped and the newspaper rolled up in his hand. He slowly made his way out of the living room, ashamed of himself. Laharl stood on the couch triumphantly and was severely surprised to receive glares from his guardians and even Etna and Flonne.

"Way to be a good role model. His brother just passed away, he just wants someone to look up to!" Kim jumped up on her feet and angrily snapped at the Overlord, finding it hard to believe that the kid was the Overlord.

Laharl's eyes widened and he realized about a fraction of what he had done. "Well, he'll get over it, right?" He then jumped down on his bust to sit properly on the couch. He looked at Flonne and Etna for some kind of comfort or assurance. He received a nice slap of punishing looks.

"Dear Overlord, I think it was best to ignore poor Nickolas. His brother… I would have done the same thing if I had an older sibling pass away," Devin stood up next to Kim and held his hands together in front of him as he spoke. Eric finally broke his fixated stare at his book when Devin spoke.

"It's not like you would know the loss of a sibling since you're an only child," Etna put her magazine down in her lap and crossed her arms. Jennifer and Flonne nodded at her comment and also crossed their arms.

"What? You're all against me? Didn't you find it in the least annoyance that he was doing _everything_ I was doing? Why are you all ganging up on me!?" Laharl stood up from the couch. With a thrust of his fist in the air, he tried to prove how right he was.

"I didn't," Robin glumly answered and lowered her vision.

"None of us did," Eric added and glared up at the Overlord. "You should go apologize… right now."

"_Hey_! Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?! And I'm going to apologize because _I_ want to, not because _you_ told me to! Is that understood?" Laharl's eyes turned a bright yellow as he erupted once again. He couldn't believe the audacity of this pirate! How could he tell him what to do? After all, Laharl was the one that hired him in the first place.

"Perfectly," Eric coolly replied to the hormonally challenged Overlord.

"Hmpf!" Laharl twirled around and exited the living room with haste.

"H-how did you do that?" Devin questioned in awe. Everyone else was wide eyed at the inconceivable incident.

"I just pretended I was talking to you instead of the Overlord," Eric blankly responded and continued to reading his book. After a few moments everyone went right back to their usual activities, but Devin was still in awe of his best friend, Eric.

Scene change.

"Oh, brother, you'll never be replaced! It's just… Laharl reminds me so much of you. I hope you never leave me," Nick heaved a sigh and completely lied down on his bed fully clothed. He felt exhausted. For some reason, doing nothing did get… tiring. The cosmic hero placed a picture of his black haired, older brother back under his pillow. There was a strong connection between him and the picture. The picture and even the smell of the photograph was the closest thing he had to his brother. And it was entirely true. Laharl's I-Have-to-Have-it-All attitude and other traits of his personality matched that of Nick's older brother, Darren. As Nick shut his eyes, he didn't notice a peculiar black light travelling from under his bed. Slowly, but surely, the black, floating, matter emitted itself into Nickolas's body without him knowing. The warrior grumbled, but never opened his eyes.

Laharl didn't care to knock on the boys' door. He opened it right away, as if his apology had some kind of time limit. The Overlord quickly marched his way over to the hero, to his unknowing, soon to be his only closest male companion. The demon shook the hero by his shoulder and received quite an appropriate reaction. Nick jumped at the touch and then sat up as fast as he could when he realized that it was none other than the great Overlord awaking him.

"What is it, dear Overlord?" he respectfully inquired.

Laharl rolled his eyes at the label. Yeah, he did appreciate it, but it _did_ get quite annoying some times. He wondered how long the hero would keep it up. "Look, I wanted to say… say… _say_… _sorry_…" Laharl quickly breathed in when he stated his apology. As if it brought physical pain for him to apologize to someone, Laharl rubbed his lips, feeling quite filthy.

"Oh, okay," Nick blinked, confused. "Well, in that case, I'm sorry, too, my dear Overlord. It was awfully immature of me to do what I did."

"Hell yeah it was! It was fucking annoying if you ask me! I hope you never do that again, I sure felt like killing a puppy." Laharl crossed his arms and over his chest and breathed heavily after he clearly voiced his opinion. Nick was in awe of Laharl's outspokenness. The warrior stood up and went wide-eyed. The Overlord took a small step back and widened his eyes as well at his guardian's reaction. "Hello, I just insulted you," Laharl stood as tall as he could and waved his right hand above his shoulder in front of Nick. It was then that Laharl noticed a visible black aura surrounding the seemingly pure hearted cosmic hero. Laharl lowered his hand and attempted to somehow decipher the aura. It was different. And it was powerful. Could it be? Was Nick just putting up an entire show to get to him and possibly assassinate him? The thoughts swarmed the Overlord's mind and he blocked out everything else in disbelief.

"Sorry, I guess I'm so used to it because of my brother. You remind me so much of him! It's such an honor to be here, Laharl! Whoops, I mean, my Lord!" A bright smile made its way on Nick's face. It was scarier than Flonne's, Laharl thought. A chuckle slipped through the hero's throat and before Laharl knew it, he was being embraced by the male in front of him. The sudden hug snapped the Overlord out of his trance.

"Oh," he could only get himself to say. He looked at Nickolas in disbelief. _He_ couldn't want to kill him. He looked like a man of his word… every word. It had to be something else. In a split second, Laharl decided to let go of the thoughts. After all, he had a dark aura as well. It's not like he went around killing people… most of the time.

"My Lord, is something the matter?" Nick questioned, truly worried.

"No, nothing is the matter. I just thought of something… we should hurry and get back to the others. They might think something's the matter," before Laharl could take a step, Nickolas flew out of the room with brimming smiles in a flash. The last thing he saw of the hero was his dark red devil tail.

A smirk made its way on the tyrant. What a naïve move! Nick flew out of the room first and left the Overlord in his privacy. The first thing he was going to do was try to find anything personal of the hero's. Perhaps a journal or photographs, maybe even letters. The Overlord ran quickly searched through his drawers and only found the generic items and clothing. _'I'm an idiot. I don't think Nick has the brains…'_ Laharl then sat down on the hero's bed, sighing depressingly. The Overlord casually lifted up his pillow to check for anything. He surprised to see the photograph of his older brother. The older male had pitch black dark hair and the same facial appearance as Nick. His were also a nice, dull-looking, grey color with no pupils. To Laharl, Nick's brother looked more like a vampire. Then it soon hit him.

"Huh? Why does Nick's transformation look like his brother's appearance?" Laharl wondered aloud. The Overlord thought back to when Nick transformed in front of him. His appearance sure did change, but the look in his eyes stayed the same. It was almost like he took his brother's appearance and gained an exponential amount of energy; the energy of the universe. _'Gees, I'd sure love to have the power of the universe in the palm of my hand,'_ Laharl glumly thought. _'I guess I'll have to watch out for little Nickolas, wouldn't want any of the enemies taking over him. That wouldn't be pretty.'_

Line breaker.

The Overlord slowly walked back to the living and received a nice, grand, warm welcoming…

"_Hey_! It's not like I could help it! And it's _not_ my fault! I'm going to go tell Laharl on you!" Devin proclaimed. His voice was higher than Laharl's ears would have liked it to be. All of a sudden when the Overlord stepped foot into the living, there were several gasps to be heard from the guardians.

"Look, I'm not saying anything. I don't see how you fit into the equation of being a guardian. I mean, seriously, Devin. You're way too weak. It's a wonder you got chosen with your odd Earthling clothes." Eric remarked in a matter-of-factly tone.

"C'mon, I don't see why you two are fighting. Devin did a really good job with his aim, isn't that right?" Flonne attempted to compliment the human and make Eric see that the Space Marine was rightfully given the title as Guardian of the Netherworld.

"Lucky shot," the pirate muttered.

"_Laharl_!" Devin raced over the Overlord and hid behind his lean and skinny body. Robin, Sasha, and Kim giggled at the human boy. Etna rolled her eyes and Jennifer bit her lip, concerned. The two quarrelling friends were standing head to head to each other with Flonne pushing them back constantly until Devin ran behind Laharl. Nick stood up from his seat and looked back at the pirate, and Laharl's perplexed expression.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Laharl swiveled around and yelled at the human. "Are you _hiding_?" The Overlord was appalled at Devin's reaction. Then again, it was probably something that Flonne would have done as well. The human sunk in size and stared down at his feet. He mumbled a weak apology and the Overlord was surprisingly satisfied with it. In the back of his mind, it was Flonne's doing; making him soft and so accepting of the littlest things. Now he wanted to chastise Eric. "And what's _your_ problem? If anything were to happen to _this_ human boy, you would be the first one to break down! So, I don't see where _you_ fit into the equation of being a real guardian for the people of the Netherworld, so I don't want to hear anyone putting anyone down unless it's done especially by _me_!" The Overlord let loose and enchanted everyone with his famous, rehearsed, evil laughter of the great King Laharl.

"This is going to be quite an adventure," Etna whispered to Jennifer. The Earthling giggled at the demon's comment. She fully agreed with Etna.

After Laharl's laugh, everyone went back to their regular business; Eric proceeded to reluctantly read his book. What he really wanted to do was teach Laharl a lesson, but he figured he might as well learn how to hold his temper in now if he wanted to continue to be a guardian. Laharl and Nick went back to reading the newspaper as well. Kim was particularly doing very well in the game of Monopoly. She completely won again, for the third time.

"Gees, Kim. Why are you so good at this game?" Sasha inquired with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Robin looked back at her and they shared a look of defeat.

"Yeah, you really kicked my butt," Devin added and scratched the back of his head. Eric lifted his vision from his broke instantaneously when he heard the human boy speak. He looked once at the back of Devin's bright blonde hair, and then the triumphant archer. The pirate couldn't help it. He partially raised the boy, and he reminded him of his younger brother he left behind when he ran away from home so many years ago. Eric lowered his eyelids and felt immediately weak when he thought of his younger brother.

"Heh, I've… just got some experience," Kim timidly responded and then shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't let one of her deepest darkest secrets slip out yet. Even though she grew up with Sasha, Robin, and Nick, none of them had a clue that she was born into a very wealthy family.

"Hey, Nick, I'm really, really, curious about your power! So, when you transform, you can… unlock the powers of the _universe_?!" Flonne placed her book down in her lap and then laced her fingers together in excitement. Her bright blue eyes bugged out in pure enthusiasm.

The cosmic hero slowly lowered his newspaper and attempted to give a bright smile to the angel. He ended up shrugging slightly and then his lips made a clear frown. Laharl caught his reaction to be unusual, and so did everyone else since they had directed their undivided attention to the hero, their friend. "I guess, I mean, I've never really needed to use all of my power for anything. I've always had to use very little, and that's usually enough for me," Nick then smiled back at everyone, except for the Overlord. He felt Laharl's eyes burn a hole through the side of his head.

"Interesting," Jennifer remarked with a warm smile, and slightly tilted her head.

After the question was open, everyone went back to doing… nothing. Nick was actually craving for another decent with anyone. Eric wanted more than anything to prove to Laharl that he was fully capable of taking care of his emotional state no matter what happened to Devin. Other than Nick and Eric, nobody else really minded that weren't any fate-of-the-Netherworld fights coming up. Little did anyone know, two of those fate-of-the-Netherworld fights would come out of a betrayal of one of Laharl's closest friends and a guardian.


End file.
